Okayy, something a bit different from me and a story which has been so intense to write but yet so cathartic. I may change the title of this as I have struggled to name it for months and came up with the following on the spot. This first chapter/prologue kinda introduces where the story will go for the next few chapters.

Its been a good six months since I wrote properly so I hope I can manage this well!

Thanks for reading.

yes its pretty short...

Prologue: January 25th 1913

''The child was born on Wednesday; a girl.''

Caledon Hockley's eyes bore into his own. Dark, almost black. They were lined with something else but he didn't care to even hazard a guess at what it was. He had become a father. He simply nodded as a response. In that moment, there was too much to comprehend and what he wished for the most was to be with the woman he loved, and their daughter. He felt his emotions run to his throat, where he swallowed the lump which had proceeded to make its way up. For months, he had waited for this precise second and the visions which had swam his mind during that time were nothing compared to this one.

''It was taken away immediately at birth and not allowed to bond with the mother. At her request.''

Jack Dawson moved his weight from one foot to the other. His fists were clenched beneath the long sleeves of his coat.

''I see.''

''You remember your end of this deal?'' Cal asked him, in a warning tone.

Clenching his jaw, he sharply nodded, not removing eye contact of the man, before him. ''Of course.''

Cal reached into his jacket pocket, ever so nonchalantly. He produced a piece of paper which he held out confidently to Jack with his left hand. There were no shakes, no sign of any other emotion except calmness. Jack's eyes narrowed, falling onto the paper. The 'Hockley' stamp so clear, the name of the bank which held their millions and then his own name. 'Jack Dawson. Ten thousand dollars.'

''Take it.'' Cal smirked. ''I suppose hesitance is to be expected when one has never seen a quarter of this amount before.''

Finding the strength from somewhere, he bit his lip as he ripped the paper from Cal's hand. It wasn't that he wanted it, or even needed it. The fact was he had made a deal. A deal with Cal – six months previously and if he broke it, he knew just what the repercussions would be.